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April 13, 2014

JFW visits CrossFit Mentality

So I was at work the other day and an employee/friend mentioned that he was ready to try CrossFit. I work about 30 mins north of where I live and the closest CrossFit box to where we were is CrossFit Mentality owned by the 4th fittest dude on the planet, Scott Panchik and his Dad (who based on how badass his sons are is the 4th fittest dude in his family). Scotty trained for awhile at the gym I belong to (CrossFit Distinction) so I emailed him and asked if I could drop in with my buddy. Typical of Scott, he responded quickly and told me the intro WOD was at 10:30 Saturday.

We got there early and I have to say, his box is badass. Digital checkin's on Wodify, Flat Screen TVs, new gear everywhere, and plenty of hot girls to stare at. Now I know thats probably pretty sexist to say but my normal gym is a real sausage party so it was a pleasant change of pace. My first 15 mins was basically a 15 min AMRAP of Peripheral Stares. I RX'd it in case you're wondering….

Scott ran us thru a warm up and then got us ready for the WOD. For strength we did Push Presses to reach a one rep max. I haven't tested that in a while so I was happy to get a shot at it. My shoulders felt pretty good and I ran thru my reps pretty quick. I ended at 185# which I think was a 20# PR for me. I think I could have gone heavier but the metcon was gonna waste my shoulders.

"Mary"

20 min amrap of:

5 Handstand pushups

10 Pistols

15 Pullups

I just "graduated" to handstands without a pad about two weeks ago so I was curious how I would do with this one. The pistols and pull-ups wouldn't be a huge issue but once your handstands get tired then it becomes almost impossible. I figured I had a good 5-6 rounds in me before I was done. I was pleasantly surprised when I sweated out 8 rounds + 3 HSPU. I don't think I've ever been upside down that long without a keg being involved…

Once we done, Scott told us there was "extra credit" if we wanted. Now common sense told me that when a games athlete asks you if you want to do extra work, you should head for your car but I'm pretty dumb that way and said sure. We went outside for a team event of Prowler Pushes for 8 mins. There were three of us. Me, my buddy Dan, and a kid who had just moved here from Germany. I think his name was Johan but for the sake of this blog I'm gonna call him Franz. Franz is a prowler pushing monster. Apparently the Germans are good at more than building cars and drinking beer cause this kid kicked my ass. We had 135# on the sled which Im guessing weighs 75# on it's own so we were easily pushing 200#. Franz was moving so fast a few small countries probably surrendered. We each pushed that sled for max distance probably 8-10 times and my calves felt like they were on fire but I couldn't quit. I hate to lose but it gave me a reason to shout "'Merica!" every time I took over for Franz.

All in all it was a great visit to CrossFit Mentality. If you're looking for a gym in Mentor Ohio this is a great box. While I was there I had the opportunity to see Scott and his Dad coaching athletes and you can tell that they not only take their members work seriously but they add a tremendous value to their efforts. The facility itself is outstanding and the members that I met were great. If you get a chance, check it out.